Four suspects in the theft of a gold treasure from a museum in Manching in Upper Bavaria have been detained by investigators in the Schwerin area of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. A “Celtic treasure” worth millions of euros was stolen from the museum of Celts and Romans in November.
The theft took place on November 22, 2022, when employees of the Kelten & Römermuseum Museum in Manching noticed that more than 450 gold coins had been stolen from the exhibition.
On Wednesday, investigators detained four suspects of the theft of a gold treasure in the Schwerin area of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Treasure of Manching. The most valuable Celtic findFrank Mächler/dpa/PAP/EPA
The theft took place at a museum in Manching in Upper BavariaPeter Kneffel/dpa/PAP/EPA
As the dpa agency reported on Wednesday, “part of the gold treasure was probably also secured during the investigation.”
What was stolen from the museum?
The collector’s value of 483 gold coins from around 100 BC and weighing a total of about four kilograms reaches several million euros.
Kelten & Römermuseum Museum in Manching Armin Weigel/PAP/EPA
Treasure of Manching. The most valuable Celtic find
The gold hoard stolen at Manching is the largest Celtic gold find of the 20th century. It was discovered in the summer of 1999 during excavations in the Manching area. The Celtic settlement, the so-called oppidum Manching, is classified by the Bavarian Monument Protection Office as one of the most important archaeological sites north of the Alps.
“The loss of the Celts’ treasure is a catastrophe, gold coins as evidence of our history are irreplaceable,” Bavarian Art Minister Markus Blume said in November.
Main photo source: Frank Mächler/dpa/PAP/EPA